Overview

This bill aims to raise the minimum age for marriage and civil partnerships in England and Wales to 18, making child marriage illegal. It criminalizes aiding or abetting child marriage and introduces child marriage protection orders.

Description

The bill makes several key changes:

• Raising the Age of Consent: It amends the Marriage Act 1949 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to make any marriage or civil partnership involving a person under 18 void.
• Criminalizing Child Marriage: It creates new offenses for those who aid, abet, counsel, procure, encourage, or assist a child under 18 into marriage, or conspire to do so. It also criminalizes the failure of those responsible for a child's care to protect them from child marriage.
• Protection Orders: The bill introduces "child marriage protection orders," allowing courts to impose restrictions and requirements to protect children from forced or coerced marriage. These orders can include powers of arrest for breaches.
• Mandatory Reporting: Healthcare professionals, teachers, and social care workers are required to report suspected child marriages to the police.
• Victim Anonymity: The bill ensures anonymity for victims of child marriage in publications.
• Penalties: Penalties for child marriage offenses include up to seven years imprisonment or a fine.

Government Spending

The bill does not include specific figures for government spending. However, there will likely be costs associated with implementing the new legislation, including training for professionals on mandatory reporting and enforcement of the new laws.

Groups Affected

• Children: The bill directly protects children from forced or coerced marriages, invalidating any such unions and offering legal recourse.
• Parents and Guardians: They could face criminal prosecution if they fail to protect a child in their care from child marriage.
• Healthcare professionals, teachers, and social care workers: These professionals have a new legal duty to report suspected child marriages.
• Law enforcement: The police will be responsible for enforcing the new laws and investigating child marriage cases.
• Media: Restrictions are placed on the publication of information that could identify victims of child marriage.
• Courts: The courts will be responsible for issuing child marriage protection orders and dealing with related legal proceedings.

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